Dear UBCP/ACTRA Member:
As you may know, yesterday the Federal Government introduced legislation to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19, and this afternoon it received Royal Assent. The legislation provides for the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) – a taxable benefit that would provide $2,000 a month for up to four months for workers who lose their income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important first step – one we have been advocating for – to ensure performers can access critical benefits over the next four months. The portal for accessing the CERB would be available in early April.
Click here more information about this announcement.
We are awaiting further details about how the CERB will be administered, and we will share those with you in due course. In the meantime, for those not currently registered on either My CRA or My Service Canada, you may want to sign up now.
To register you will need to have filed and been assessed for income tax for one of the past two years. You will be asked for other specifics from your notice of assessment, so have it handy. As well, you will need to provide:
- Your social insurance number
- You date of birth
- your current postal code (*NOTE* if you have moved since your last notice of assessment you may need to change your address with CRA first: 1-800-959-8281)
- An assessed return, notice of assessment or reassessment, other tax document.
To request your access code go here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/cra-login-services.html
For answers to some frequently asked questions visit:
https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/cra-login-services/cra-user-password-help-faqs/registration-process-access-cra-login-services.html#hlp1a
The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit is brand new and all the details have not been worked out. Please continue to watch our channels and we will relay information to you as it becomes available.
UBCP/ACTRA